10.5061/DRYAD.6Q16D
Kurnath, Patrice
University of Utah
Merz, Natalie D.
University of Utah
Dearing, M. Denise
University of Utah
Data from: Ambient temperature influences tolerance to plant secondary
compounds in a mammalian herbivore
Dryad
dataset
2016
Thermal neutral zone
Larrea tridentata
temperature-dependent toxicity
maximum dose
Neotoma lepida
2016-08-02T17:33:06Z
2016-08-02T17:33:06Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.2387
32560 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Growing evidence suggests that plant secondary compounds (PSCs) ingested
by mammals become more toxic at elevated ambient temperatures, a
phenomenon known as temperature-dependent toxicity. We investigated
temperature-dependent toxicity in the desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida), a
herbivorous rodent that naturally encounters PSCs in creosote bush (Larrea
tridentata), which is a major component of its diet. First, we determined
the maximum dose of creosote resin ingested by woodrats at warm (28–29°C)
or cool (21–22°C) temperatures. Second, we controlled the daily dose of
creosote resin ingested at warm, cool and room (25°C) temperatures, and
measured persistence in feeding trials. At the warm temperature, woodrats
ingested significantly less creosote resin; their maximum dose was
two-thirds that of animals at the cool temperature. Moreover, woodrats at
warm and room temperatures could not persist on the same dose of creosote
resin as woodrats at the cool temperature. Our findings demonstrate that
warmer temperatures reduce PSC intake and tolerance in herbivorous
rodents, highlighting the potentially adverse consequences of
temperature-dependent toxicity. These results will advance the field of
herbivore ecology and may hone predictions of mammalian responses to
climate change.
Kurnath et al R script expt 1Code written in R to analyse data from the
first experiment, determining the maximum dose of creosote resin in
woodrats at two ambient temperatures. Specifically, the maximum dose for
each individual was compared across temperatures with an ANOVA. Intake
data was log transformed, averaged across all days in the trial per
individual, and then ANOVAs were run with Tukey's post-hoc tests to
determine the effect of temperature.Kurnath et al R script expt 2Code
written in R to analyze data from the second experiment in the study,
investigating the effect of temperature on the ability of woodrats to
persist in a feeding trial while ingesting the same daily dose of creosote
resin (ie, 0.36 g resin/day). There are two main parts to the code. First,
we analyzed food intake and body mass data from animals at 25 and 29 degC,
to determine if animals had similar energetic costs at these temperatures.
Data was analyzed with ANOVAs. Second, we analyzed survival and intake
(food and resin) from animals at three temperatures. Survival data was
analyzed with a Kaplan-Meier test, and intake data was analyzed with
ANOVAs and Tukey's post-doc tests.Maximum Dose for Creosote ResinData
spreadsheet used with "Kurnath et al Experiment 1" code in R,
includes maximum dose for creosote resin of each individual in the
study.maxtol.csvDaily Intake Data from Maximum Dose TrialData spreadsheet
analyzed by "Kurnath et al Experiment 1" code in R. Each row
represents one day of one animal in the feeding trial; there were 16
animals in the trial that lasted 21 days. Columns represent treatment
groups (temperature, cool or warm), days in the trial, dietary
concentration of creosote resin presented to the animals, body mass, food
intake, creosote resin intake, and water intake of the animals during this
experiment.maxtol5.csvComparing energetic costs at two temperaturesData
spreadsheet analyzed by "Kurnath et al Experiment 2" code in R.
Includes food intake and body mass data from animals at either 25degC or
29degC during a 6-day feeding trial.rtdata.csvSurvivalship AnalysisData
spreadsheet analyzed by "Kurnath et al Experiment 2" code in R,
includes animals at three temperatures and the number of days they
persisted in a 10-day feeding trial.R clipboard.xlsxIntake data during
Survivalship trialData spreadsheet analyzed by "Kurnath et al
Experiment 2" code in R. Includes food intake, creosote resin intake,
and body mass of animals at three temperatures during 10-day feeding
trial. Each row represents one animal during one day of the trial. Columns
represent temperature treatment, dietary concentration of creosote resin
presented to animals, food intake, creosote resin intake, and body
mass.round3new2.csv
Mojave Desert
Utah